


Crescent Moon and Silver Stars

by AceCavalier



Series: Tale of Two Kings (Dimiclaude In-Canon Series) [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Art/Fic Trade, Developing Relationship, Gift Fic, M/M, Slow Burn, Spoilers, not many but if you read carefully there's a few
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2020-09-18 23:57:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20321671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceCavalier/pseuds/AceCavalier
Summary: Claude is never one to let a good opportunity pass him by, so when he spots Dimitri carrying out some late-night research in the library, he seizes the opportunity to get to know his fellow house leader a little better.





	Crescent Moon and Silver Stars

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Chynandri](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Chynandri).

> This fic is part of a fic/art trade with the wonderful chynandri, who came up with the idea and very kindly gave me permission to try writing it! It was such a sweet idea I just couldn't resist - I'll take any excuse to fall in love with more 3H ships and Claude/Dimitri is *chef kiss*. I hope you like it!
> 
> As mentioned in the tags, there are some spoilers here for the Blue Lions path! Not huge spoilers and not super obvious, I don't think, but you've been warned!

There were few things Claude loved more in the world than happy coincidences. In his life so far he’d only stumbled across a few of them, and he’d quickly learned to appreciate their worth as opportunities to discover new and interesting things about the world and the people around him. So when he’d wandered into the monastery’s library one evening and spotted Dimitri there, Claude was able to recognise that one of those rare moments was at-hand and immediately decided to seize it.

It was late enough that no one else was in the library; most of the students and faculty had retreated to their rooms for the night, leaving night owls like himself – and, apparently, Dimitri – to do as they pleased without interference. Careful to keep his steps light, Claude sidled closer, curious to see what had caught Dimitri’s attention, but he’d had little need; Dimitri was so focused on the book in his hand that he didn’t notice Claude’s approach until he was standing at his shoulder.

“Hey there, Your Princeliness.”

Dimitri gave a yelp and jumped back, nearly dropping the book. Realising it was just Claude, his surprised look quickly turned into a frown and he hurriedly put the book away.

“Claude! What are you doing sneaking around at this hour?”

“Sneaking? Me?” Claude flashed him a charming grin. “Never. You, on the other hand, definitely have the look of someone who’s up to no good. Dabbling in deviance, are we?”

“Nothing of the sort,” Dimitri scoffed, almost a little offended. “I was just… reading up on something.”

“Alright then, keep your secrets.”

With a trademark wink, Claude stepped closer to the bookshelf – deliberately letting his shoulder brush against Dimitri’s – and began inspecting some of the covers, searching for one that piqued his insatiable interest. His finger hovered over a slightly out-of-place tome, likely the one Dimitri had hurriedly put away, before moving along, keenly aware of Dimitri still standing behind him. Eventually a green spine with golden lettering caught his eye, and he plucked it from the shelf with a flurry.

“_The History of Bowmanship in F__ódlan_,” he read aloud. “Written by some old coot with nothing better to do, but hey, might be interesting.” He looked up to see Dimitri still watching him, his expression impassive but his eyes alight with something Claude couldn’t quite place. Frustration, maybe? Anger? A wiser person might choose to ignore it, to let whatever hid there be, but not Claude – what was it they said about curiosity and cats?

“So, Your Princeliness. What kind of books have you been reading lately?”

The impassive look shifted into a grimace as Dimitri folded his arms across his chest.

“Why do you insist on calling me that, Claude? You could simply use my name. It would certainly be less annoying.”

“Ah, but annoying you is the fun part.”

Claude winked again and opened the book; the leather protested with a satisfying crinkling.

“I should have suspected that was the case.”

It would have been easy for Dimitri to leave. He had an array of perfectly reasonable excuses – the late hour, the risk of being scolded, fatigue from a long day’s training – and he’d left himself bookless, so there was no real reason for him to stay. And yet, here he was, standing with crossed arms and a stern look. He must have been in the middle of something when Claude had interrupted him, and now he was waiting for Claude to leave. That, or he just wanted to enjoy Claude’s company a little longer. Which was it, then?

Claude brushed past Dimitri again to sit himself down on one of the library’s chairs, leaning back and crossing one leg over the other. He rested an elbow on the table and his cheek in one hand, holding the book up with the other.

“You know, if you want to keep reading, you’re welcome to. I usually read in my room, but I’ve never been one to complain about company. Come on, take a seat, Your Princeliness!”

At the use of the moniker, Dimitri huffed, then paused, realising that Claude had put him on the spot. If he turned down the offer, he’d have to leave the library and whatever he’d been looking into, but if he stayed, he’d risk Claude finding out what it was he was doing. It was almost cruel, the way Claude enjoyed watching the prince try and calculate his options. Perhaps he should help.

He looked down at his book, doing his best to act as casually as he could.

“I have to admit, I’m curious. What does the Prince of Faerghus need to know about the lineages of Imperial noble houses?” There was an audible drawing in of breath from Dimitri, and Claude very nearly grinned. “Though I suppose, as a prince and future leader of your territory, that it can’t hurt to be familiar with the nobles of other territories. Am I right?”

“Uh… Right. Of course.”

Claude closed his book with a snap. “If you want, I can help you get a little more familiar with Alliance nobility, too. Should be a little more entertaining than reading it in a book. Unless, of course, you’re not as interested in the Alliance as the Empire…?”

It was like playing chess, and Dimitri was starting to realise that he was losing. He simply scowled at Claude for a moment, once again weighing up his options, before sighing, pulling out a chair, and sitting down across from Claude, his hands fisted on the table.

“Very well. I would be interested to hear what you have to tell me.”

Claude allowed himself the grin he’d been hanging onto. Dimitri gave him nothing in return, but at least the scowl was starting to fade back into his usual sternness.

“Let’s see, where to start…” He shifted so that he faced Dimitri, cupping his chin in his hand and tapping his bottom lip. “Ah, I know! I started calling you ‘Your Princeliness’ because of how serious you act all the time. It’s like you never learned how to relax. Of course, now I _keep_ doing it just to see you react. I have to admit, it’s quite fun.”

A twitch at the corner of Dimitri’s lips. “Serious, yes, I’ve had quite a few people tell me that. They also tell me I should ‘lighten up’ or that I should try smiling more often.”

“You should. You’ve got a pretty cute smile, after all.”

Dimitri’s eyes widened a little in surprise. Before he could compose himself enough to try and think of a suitable response, Claude continued.

“Come to think of it, I don’t know a whole lot about the nobles of the Kingdom, especially its prince. I hear he’s a great fighter and a nice guy and all that, but I want to know what he’s _really_ like. Is he really as serious as they say?”

Still a little put-out by Claude’s earlier remark, Dimitri fumbled over his words, needing a few tries before he managed to get a complete sentence together. “I… I’m afraid he is – I am, yes.” His eyes narrowed, but not in a frown. “Before I arrived at the academy, I’d heard that the Alliance’s house leader was someone to watch out for. A trickster, I believe they said. It seems they were right, too.”

Claude threw his hand up to his forehead in mock outrage. “Me? A trickster? No way.” He spread his arms wide. “I’m as honest and genuine as they come. Not a thing in the world to hide and always a man of my word.”

“Coming from the man who threatened to poison our food prior to the mock battle a few months’ back, I’m not sure I believe you.”

There was the definite beginning of a smile on Dimitri’s face now, and Claude could hear the softest ring of humour in his voice. It felt like victory. He leaned forward again, as close to Dimitri as he could get with the table between them.

“Was that joke from His Princeliness? It seems the rumours were wrong about both of us.”

Dimitri shook his head. “I’m not sure about that, exactly. Though it’s true I don’t know a whole about you…”

“Or me about you. Why don’t we fix that?” Chin in both hands, Claude fixed Dimitri with his brightest, most charming smile. “What do you say? I tell you something about me, you tell me something about you. A secret for a secret.”

The smile on Dimitri’s face faded – Claude was surprised how disappointed he felt watching it slip away. He hadn’t pressed Dimitri too far, had he? The prince did seem to be the reticent type, and Claude knew better than to push someone too far too fast, but had he read him wrong? The fear that Dimitri would get up and leave was something Claude hadn’t realised he dreaded as much as he did. It _was_ rare for the two of them to have time together like this, where they could be two friends rather than two leaders, and Claude didn’t want this particular happy coincidence to slip through his fingers.

Thankfully, Dimitri seemed to have decided that the proposition wasn’t too dangerous; the smile quickly returned, even as Dimitri shook his head.

“If it were any other person, Claude, I’d be inclined to refuse. But… I’m sure it can’t hurt to open up a little…” A pause. “Can it…?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle.” A wink to punctuate his teasing tone, and he was rewarded with – was that a blush? In the dim library light, Claude couldn’t be completely sure. “Speaking of getting hurt, I have a pretty low tolerance for pain and I hate getting injured. All the fuss, the recovery time, ugh. When I found out that I’d be trained to use a bow it was actually a huge relief for me. Alright, your turn.”

Dimitri leaned back a little, fingers curled around his chin as he considered.

“Hm. Well, I do have a bad habit of breaking things. Almost anything, actually… Training lances, quills, chairs, even teacups. It’s… rather frustrating.”

“Huh, here I was thinking I’d have to be gentle with you, when I need to be worried about you breaking me.”

There was no need for a wink this time; Dimitri was definitely blushing.

“Claude! You can’t just…!”

“Sorry, sorry – I’m just teasing. It’s too much fun, I can’t help myself.” Claude shrugged. “My turn, right? Let’s see… Oh! You know how you mentioned that little scheme of mine for the mock battle? The other week I found some mildly poisonous mushrooms outside the monastery, so, naturally, I tried to make them into a powder to use against enemies and well, accidentally breathed some in… I was puking my guts out for three days.”

Dimitri just blinked at him, and Claude felt his heart drop. That was the line, was it? He had guessed Dimitri was the honest type, so maybe the use of poisons against…

Then Dimitri started laughing. It was a chuckle first, like he was trying to hold himself back, but it soon bubbled into a laugh so genuine that Claude nearly fell off his seat. To Claude, that laugh was suddenly his greatest win yet.

After that night, they began to meet regularly in the library, once the rest of the students and faculty had gone to bed. Dimitri would be there every night, reading through some book or another that he would hastily put away when Claude arrived, and the two would sit and talk. They continued their routine of sharing a secret for a secret; mostly trivial little things – Claude’s atrocious musical skills or some scheme gone wrong, Dimitri’s training mishaps and odd interests – but occasionally their conversations would turn serious. They would sometimes discuss their responsibilities as leaders, the future of Fódlan, their hopes for their fellow classmates. Every night they met, Claude would always try to get Dimitri to smile, or maybe, if he was lucky, he’d manage to get a laugh out of him, and those nights in particular he considered a great success.

Soon, sharing their evenings together became so natural a part of their days that it felt weird when they didn’t. Claude found himself feeling lonely during the day, eagerly counting down the hours until he could retreat to the library and Dimitri’s company. He hated how Dimitri tried to act like they were simply fellow students during the day, offering only cool greetings and polite but empty words; he missed the smiles and relaxed banter that Dimitri kept reserved for their evenings together. Was it greedy of him to want that all the time?

Leaning against the doorframe of the library one night as Dimitri finished his secret research – no amount of pestering had gotten Claude any closer to figuring out why he was so invested in researching the Empire – Claude noticed the moonlight flooding onto the floor of the corridor outside and turned to Dimitri.

“Hey, I’m in the mood for a bit of a midnight stroll. Care to join me?”

Dimitri looked up with a frown. “Oh? Well, I guess a walk would be nice. Is there a particular reason…?”

“It’s not one of my schemes, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Claude rolled his eyes. “It’s a crescent moon tonight, and I’ve heard stories about how crescent moons are supposed to have special meaning. Besides, it’s probably good to get some fresh air every once in a while.”

“I suppose that’s true enough.” Dimitri shut his latest research and carefully put it back on the shelf. “Shall we?”

They made their way together along the corridor with only a few torches and the moonlight to guide them. Despite the moon’s crescent shape, its light was strong, lining the floor and walls of the corridor with silver. More than once, the two of them would accidentally bump into each other and offer half-hearted apologies, though Claude’s became increasingly less accidental. When they reached the bottom of the stairway, Claude took Dimitri’s arm.

“Come on, let’s go see it from the bridge.”

Dimitri offered no objections and the large iron doors had thankfully been left unlocked. They were heavier than Claude expected, though, and he struggled to open them until Dimitri helped, reaching around him to add his strength; Claude was glad the darkness hid his blush at how close he was. Stepping out onto the bridge itself, both of them were immediately mesmerised by the sheer beauty of the sky above them. Unhindered by candle or torchlight, the night sky stretched limitlessly out above them, impossible in its vastness. The moon, as Claude had hoped, was at a perfect crescent and larger than Claude had ever remembered seeing it, almost as though it was close enough to touch. Its cool silver light washed over him, and despite the late hour he felt more awake than ever.

“It’s… incredible…” Dimitri breathed, his voice low and quiet.

Claude suddenly pointed up at the moon. “I can’t believe I never noticed before, but, like this, the moon looks exactly like the crest of Riegan! And hey, some of those stars look kind of like the crest of Blaiddyd, right?”

“You’re right.” Dimitri’s voice was still a little hushed, but Claude was too fixated on the moon to tear his gaze away from it. “Isn’t it interesting how the moon and stars are always next to one another? A bit like you and I lately, I suppose…”

“Gee, Your Princeliness. If you’re not careful I might think you’re trying to be romantic!”

Claude finally turned back to Dimitri and froze. Thanks to the moonlight, he could clearly see the blush spreading across Dimitri’s face as he avoided meeting Claude’s gaze.

“O-Of course not! Don’t be ridiculous, Claude. It was… just an observation, that’s all.”

“Riiight. Just like how I observe how handsome the moonlight makes you look.”

It had the desired reaction of startling Dimitri enough that he looked up, but the very much undesired reaction of causing a blush to emerge across Claude’s own cheeks. The two of them stood there in a silence, blushing at one another, too flustered to form words; eventually they both looked awkwardly away.

“Sorry, that was probably a bit too far…”

“My apologies, Claude…”

Claude glanced up at him, wanting to catch a final look of that blushing, goofy look on his face, then shook his head.

“Hey, Dimitri, I… I just wanted to…”

A little hesitantly, Dimitri met his gaze, eyes expectant and gleaming brightly, the faintest tinge of pink still on his cheeks. Claude hadn’t been lying; Dimitri _did_ look handsome in the moonlight, unfairly so. For a sudden, impulsive second, Claude very much wanted to kiss him, but as quickly as the urge had swept over him it had been brushed away. Instead, he smiled.

“Let’s promise to always stay friends, alright? I know we’re from different territories and all that nonsense but… no matter what happens, let’s agree to never turn against each other.”

The brightness in Dimitri’s expression wavered. “Claude, I… as much as I want to promise that, I’m not sure I can…”

“Please?” Claude managed to gather enough courage to reach out and brush his hand against Dimitri’s. “Just humour me, at least.”

Dimitri sighed, but smiled. “Alright, Claude. I promise to do whatever I can to ensure that we remain friends. You have my word.”

Five long years of war and one year of tentative peace later, after Fódlan had been soaked with the blood of friends and enemies alike – often one and the same – Dimitri, both different and yet very much the same as the man he’d been that night six years ago, stood at the edge of the same bridge, looking up at the same crescent moon. The Crest of Riegan, surrounded by the many bright stars of Blaiddyd.

As he stood, Dimitri raised the jagged bone bow in his hand and fired a single shot into the air, directly above him. As it left the bow’s ancient string, the arrow began to gleam with a red light, a new star to add to the night sky, before winking out amongst the darkness. For a long moment, the night was still, undisturbed by man or creature, until, faintly, he heard the single cry of a wyvern, and spotted a dark shape soaring across the stars towards him.

Dimitri smiled. This, at least, was one promise he had managed to keep.


End file.
